As I've written in another post, a drug test (urine sample) I took today, showed traces of meth in it. I've not done meth in at least 8 months, and the only thing I can think of that could have caused this is Ritalin, of which I take 100 mg a day. Is the Ritalin to blame? And will a blood test clear my name, or can Ritalin, or whatever caused this, be confused with meth in a blood test too?

Fima

11-25-09, 12:11 PM

Meth gets out of the body very fast(like 6 days),
and Ritalin can cause false positive for Meth, so I guess you can explain that to them with no problem :)

Ethereal

11-25-09, 01:10 PM

Meth gets out of the body very fast(like 6 days),
and Ritalin can cause false positive for Meth, so I guess you can explain that to them with no problem :)

They claimed it wasn't possible that Ritalin could have caused it, so explaining that to them would be a bit difficult-actually, explaining anything to them is a bit of a challenge, as they seem to have difficulties understanding anything more complex than "yes" or "no".

If the head psychiatrist is as incompetent as the rest of the staff, the blood test will be my only hope.

Impromptu_DTour

11-25-09, 01:44 PM

There are so many things that can cause a false positive for meth.. like a vicks nasal enhaler.. anything with ephedra.. to asthma medication. For them to say that there is no way that Ritalin would be causing it seems kind of odd to me.. since ritalin is "Methylphenidate", and can most definately cause a false positive for Methamphetamine. Unless they're verifying their tests with an Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS), theres no way they would know for certain.

If you give the head psyd. your perscription papers, there should be no problem.

I_DTour

trishcan

11-25-09, 01:52 PM

What was the test for? Work, probation, etc? Most places do an initial 5-panel screen that often results in false positives, then perform a more thorough test at a lab to verify or rule out such positives.

I have tested positive for amphetamines while taking Concerta, and tested negative for amphetamines while taking Vyvanse (an actual amphetamine). In any case, further testing usually rules it out. As long as you disclosed about the medication before you took the test, you should be good. If you don't tell them you were taking medication until the test came back positive, they generally aren't required to perform any further testing unless they wish.

Trooper Keith

11-25-09, 01:58 PM

Methylphenidate hits on big five drug tests as an amphetamine.

Kiddder

11-25-09, 02:40 PM

Substances that cause false positives;

http://www.askdocweb.com/falsepositives.html

The chances of you getting a false positive depends on the quality of the laboratory that does the testing. There seems to be about 1,200 of these labs in the United States currently testing for drugs. Less than a 100 of these meet federal standards and most of the individual states do not regulate drug test labs. The number of false positives returned range from 4% to over 50%, depending on the lab.

Ethereal

11-25-09, 04:36 PM

What was the test for? Work, probation, etc? Most places do an initial 5-panel screen that often results in false positives, then perform a more thorough test at a lab to verify or rule out such positives.

I have tested positive for amphetamines while taking Concerta, and tested negative for amphetamines while taking Vyvanse (an actual amphetamine). In any case, further testing usually rules it out. As long as you disclosed about the medication before you took the test, you should be good. If you don't tell them you were taking medication until the test came back positive, they generally aren't required to perform any further testing unless they wish.

I'm currently hospitalized in a mental institution, by my own choice, and the test was just a random check-up they do after people having been out of the hospital for a few days. They do, of course, know all about what meds I'm on, what doses- after all, they're giving them to me while I'm here.

Fima

11-26-09, 06:30 AM

they just like cops, cops will lie, will say they saw you doing crime, but as long as you insist, they will understand you are not lieying!
the results have nothing to do with your past meth use, I can asure! there is no way meth can be stored 8 months in the body, no way!!!

Stop the methylphenidate and let the metabolites clear your system.
Take the test.
Restart the methylphenidate.
Test again

Rftn10

05-18-13, 02:42 PM

Ritalin taken in a lab certified by the fda will not test positive for methamphetamines. Ritalin tho closely related to amphetamines is not an amphetamine. Its a methylphenidate. Ritalin taken with cheap urine tests can test positive for amphetamines not methamphetamines. Highly unlikely you will get a false positive for methamphetamine, amphetamines maybe methamphetamines not likely. A great website you can visit for drug testing references is erowid.com. The non stimulant add medication strattera will not test positive in a urine test.

PedestrianX

06-11-13, 10:28 PM

>> Ritalin tho closely related to amphetamines is not an amphetamine

Ritalin is NOT closely related to amphetamines.[b] This is one of the most insidious and persistent myths about Ritalin.

- Amphetamine = alpha-methylphenethylamine, itself a phenethylamine, although amphetamines are also a class unto themselves (to which Ritalin does [b]not belong).

- Methylphenidate (Ritalin) is a standalone compound belonging to the piperidine class.

Amphetamines and piperidines are two completely different things. They are not structurally related. They are not even pharmacologically related, as they have completely different mechanisms of action.

Specifically, methylphenidate works primarily by inhibiting the reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, while amphetamine works primarily by releasing dopamine into the synaptic cleft (inverse transport of dopamine via DAT), and by increasing concentrations of norepinephrine in blood (interactions with NET).

Put more simply, methylphenidate "blocks the door", preventing dopamine and norepinephrine from leaving, while amphetamine "opens the door", allowing more dopamine and norepinephrine in. There is some overlap between the two, but this difference is so significant that their pharmacological similarities are not even worth mentioning.

With respect to drug tests:

At the end of the day, it depends on the test. Drug tests are often not looking for the drug itself, but for the metabolites of the drug, particularly those with long half-lives. Some drug tests even look for markers such as enzyme concentrations, or even neurotransmitter metabolites.

The bottom line is that methylphenidate is not likely to give a false positive for amphetamines on any reputable drug test. This is because methylphenidate and amphetamine are completely different structures with completely different pharmacodynamics.

With that said, as other posters have pointed out, there are so many things which can give a false positive for amphetamines that there are much simpler, much more sensible explanations for it than methylphenidate.

Rftn10

09-23-13, 11:35 PM

Pedestrian, how sure are you about this. I am a law enforcement officer and I have ADD. I am afraid to use ritalin for fear of losing my job. My employer can be very vindictive. They may think I cannot be a capable officer , even tho I been a officer for over 10 years . They routinely test me for illicit drugs via hair test. Would I be safe taking ritalin.

Trooper Keith

09-25-13, 12:13 AM

Ritalin taken in a lab certified by the fda will not test positive for methamphetamines.

Pedestrian is spot on about his pharmacology, and it's true that Ritalin will not trigger a positive hit for amphetamine. However, what he's wrong about is that Ritalin certainly might trigger a positive on a standard "big five" drug tests. It could trigger as a positive hit for cocaine, depending on the sensitivity of the test.

Rftn10 is also only technically correct. Big five drug tests do not test for methylphenidate itself, but Ritalin can trigger either as an amphetamine or as cocaine, depending on the sensitivity and type of the test, and the state of metabolization, and so on. It's not being tested for specifically, but it can trigger a positive.

Nobody tests specifically for certain drugs, rather, they test for drug derivatives and metabolites. This is why it is possible to false positive by consuming benign products that metabolize into similar things as target drugs produce.

However, the good news is that third party testing organizations like corporate health offices can only disclose passes and fails. You can generally provide a prescription number to those places and they will verify that a prescription exists, and then discount that positive hit if it's within the limits for prescription use. You absolutely, as an LEO, can take Ritalin if it is within your departmental policy to allow you to be employed. You simply have to disclose that you take Ritalin to the testers at the time you test, and they will note this and therefore not flag you as failing the drug test if you trigger for cocaine.

I have taken multiple drug tests while taking Ritalin, and also Adderall, and have disclosed it, and have never been reported as failing the drug test. Again, it's important to note that the results of the drug test only are disclosed to the employer. That is, all the employer hears back is "pass" or "fail." For this reason, it is essential that you inform the people doing the test, because the employer will not know what you tested positive for. They will only know "fail" and you cannot then after the fact say "oh wait I take Ritalin could that have done it?"

Disclose what you take to the people testing the sample, before they test it, and you'll be fine.

Reekwind

09-25-13, 12:19 AM

Agreed, Methylphenidate is not especially similiar in structure to meth/amphetamine. It is as has been said very close in structure as cocaine and the mechanisms it works by in the brain is almost identical to it. Too bad people with ADHD can't get a coke high from it though. ;P

Hayden_NZ

09-25-13, 08:49 AM

I'm a bit worried about drug testing too. The reason why I got help for my ADHD was the social issues to do with it ( biggest reason), but also employment issues/difficulties/challenges ( I'm currently unemployed). I would hate to test positive in a drug test, and ruin by chances of a job !!. I have never done meth or cocaine, and don't take any illegal drugs ( I don't even drink really - maybe twice a year). I do take Methylphenidate/Rubifen/Ritalin for my ADHD, but I feel this would make me a better employee ( more attentive, less clumsy etc). Some jobs here the government employment agency will not refer me to, because they drug test for illegal substances and there unsure if I will get a false positive, so they refuse to refer me. No one there knows for sure if Methylphenidate would return a false positive result or not and this is a large and well resourced Government Department, its annoying.

Trooper Keith

09-25-13, 10:45 PM

I'm a bit worried about drug testing too. The reason why I got help for my ADHD was the social issues to do with it ( biggest reason), but also employment issues/difficulties/challenges ( I'm currently unemployed). I would hate to test positive in a drug test, and ruin by chances of a job !!. I have never done meth or cocaine, and don't take any illegal drugs ( I don't even drink really - maybe twice a year). I do take Methylphenidate/Rubifen/Ritalin for my ADHD, but I feel this would make me a better employee ( more attentive, less clumsy etc). Some jobs here the government employment agency will not refer me to, because they drug test for illegal substances and there unsure if I will get a false positive, so they refuse to refer me. No one there knows for sure if Methylphenidate would return a false positive result or not and this is a large and well resourced Government Department, its annoying.

Again, if you disclose that you're taking the medication it will not be used as a basis for excluding you or failing your drug test. Why would you not just tell the testing people "hey by the way I have this medication by prescription, here is the prescription number at the pharmacy where I fill it" rather than fretting constantly about whether or not you'll hit positive for drug use?

Hayden_NZ

09-25-13, 11:13 PM

Because the people referring me to the jobs are like a government employment agency ( a third party, not the employer), and they will not send anyone that might not pass the employers test for any reason. A fail to them is a fail, they have more people in line to refer to the jobs that will pass. Basically the say out at the start " oh your taking a controlled drug, we can't refer you to any drug testing jobs".